If a joke falls in the forest, does it make a sound?
Apparently the answer is a resounding yes.Jimmy Kimmel, the current king of late night comedy controversy, is at odds with PresidentDonald Trumponce again, who is (once again)calling for the ABC host to be fired.
This is all because on an April 23 episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on ABC, the host staged a faux White House Correspondents Association dinner, and made a joke about first ladyMelania Trump. Kimmel, pretending to be in a room with the who's-who of Washington, D.C., and acting as if he saw the first lady in person, said, "Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow."
In the immediate aftermath of the joke, no one from the Trump administration commented on what Kimmel himself has saidwas a joke about the age difference between the first couple(President Trump is 79, turning 80 in June, and Melania Trump is 56).
However after the real Correspondents Dinnererupted in violenceon April 26, both Trumps are taking deep offense at Kimmel's remarks, with thefirst lady writing on X, "How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community."
Comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!", will resume production after it was pulled off the air Sept. 17, following comments he made in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing. Kimmel, a frequent critic of Donald Trump, often earned the ire of the president.After the announcement, Trump urged other networks to do the same. Scroll to see the other late-night talk show hosts that have feuded with the president over the years. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
In 2016, Jimmy Fallon interviewed Trump ahead of the election, ruffling the then-candidate's signature orange hair. After the interview received backlash, Fallon said he regretted parts of the interview. In response, Trump took to social media to criticize the "Tonight Show" host, writing: "@jimmyfallon is now whimpering to all that he did the famous 'hair show' with me (where he seriously messed up my hair), & that he would have now done it differently because it is said to have 'humanized' me-he is taking heat. He called & said 'monster ratings.' Be a man Jimmy!" Fallon is pictured here at the Met Gala on May 5, 2025, in New York City. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
"The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart has a history of heated exchanges with Trump. In 2013, Trump tweeted, "I promise you that I'm much smarter than Jonathan Leibowitz - I mean Jon Stewart @TheDailyShow. Who, by the way, is totally overrated." Stewart is a sharp critic of Trump, often taking aim at the political movement he has created.
Here, Stewart is pictured at "The Daily Show" official Emmy Screening on June 7, 2025, in Los Angeles. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
John Oliver, a "Daily Show" alum who now hosts “Last Week Tonight” is also a frequent Trump critic, and feuded publicly with the president over a potential show appearance in 2015. Oliver said he wasn't interested in having Trump on his show, which Trump responded to on X, writing: "John Oliver had his people call to ask me to be on his very boring and low-rated show, I said ‘NO THANKS’ Waste of time & energy!" Oliver refuted that report.
Here, Oliver is pictured in at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 14, 2025, in Los Angeles. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
When CBS announced the network was terminating “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” after the 2025-2026 season, Trump took to social media to celebrate. "I absolutely love that Colbert got fired, his talent was even less than his ratings," the president wrote. Among his late-night peers, Colbert was among Trump's sharpest critics.
Colbert is pictured here at Apple TV+'s Primetime Emmy party red carpet on Sept. 14, 2025, in West Hollywood. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Seth Meyers, the host of "Late Night" on NBC is a frequent critic of Trump and his administration.The ire, it seems, is mutual, with the president writing previously on social media: "How bad is Seth Meyers on NBC, a 'network' run by a truly bad group of people - Remember, they also run MSDNC. I got stuck watching Marble Mouth Meyers the other night, the first time in months, and every time I watch this moron I feel an obligation to say how dumb and untalented he is, merely a slot filler for the Scum that runs Comcast."
Meyers is pictured here at SiriusXM's “The Howard Stern Show” on June 17, 2025, in New York City. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Stewart, see late-night hosts who have beefed with President Trump
Comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!", willresume production after it was pulled off the airSept. 17, following comments he made in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing. Kimmel, a frequent critic of Donald Trump, often earned the ire of the president.After the announcement, Trump urged other networks to do the same. Scroll to see the other late-night talk show hosts that have feuded with the president over the years.
For Kimmel, it's déjà vu all over again after an incident in September. Then, his politically charged joke about the Republican reaction to the shooting ofpolitical activist Charlie Kirk, led to his temporary suspensionfrom the air after prominent Trump officials put pressure on ABC for his removal. Aftera week's suspensionKimmel returned a vindicated man (toastonishing ratings) and continued his show as usual, without pulling back on jokes and criticisms of the Trump administration.
Kimmel seems unruffled by the Trumps' rhetoric, and ABC has not made any official comment on the matter (USA TODAY has reached out to the network). But in the wake of theKimmel cultural firestorm in September, the violence at a dinner that has previously been the epicenter of political comedy and the forthcoming late nightdeparture of prominent Trump critic Stephen Colbert, the current state of political comedy in the United States is under a microscope.
With presidential critiques, a war of attrition on late-night TV and the mile-a-minute media cycle of 2026, what place does political comedy have in our modern world? And who will preserve it as time marches on?
Political comedy is a foundational part of American society
This country has a deep and meaningful history when it comes to political comedy, satire and commentary, from old-time political cartoons in historical newspapers to counter-culture comedians arrested on the stage of mid-century comedy clubs to Tina Fey decked out as Sarah Palin on "Saturday Night Live."
During the lead up to the Revolutionary War, political cartoons and strong political speech were a major part of the efforts of the Founding Fathers and their allies. Benjamin Franklin's 1754 "Join, or Die" cartoon is one of the most famous instances of political commentary through comedy in world history.
In the 1800s Mark Twain was one of the most prominent voices critiquing American political and social norms and faults, including with his incisive 1873 novel "The Gilded Age," which included (less than flattering) caricatures of many politicians, industrialists and leaders.
In the 20th century, some of the biggest names in comedy may be remembered more for their warm, inviting jokes than their more barbed satire, but the likes of Bob Hope and Johnny Carson had plenty to say about politics. Lenny Bruce, along with venerated comedians likeGeorge Carlin, Richard Pryor and Dick Gregory, created the foundation of the most cutting and controversial jokesabout American culture and our political system.
The "Weekend Updates" of "SNL," Jay Leno and David Letterman's Bill Clinton jokes, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's Comedy Central heyday poking at George W. Bush in the early 2000s and, yes, the current late-night lineup of Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Colbert, Seth Meyers and John Oliver all stand on the shoulders of some of the biggest names in our history.
It may seem, just because we're living in a politically charged moment in our history, as though our current slate of comedians is harsher or more criticized or more contentious than those who came before – but they are continuing a deeply American tradition of free speech.
Trump never has liked late-night comedians, and likely never will
It's been clear since Trump joined the political stage in 2016 that he does not care for the late-night comedians who poke at his presidency. And based on their hours of jokes about Trump and his allies, it's also abundantly clear that the current late-night hosts will not stand down in their mocking of the president.
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Trump hasfeuded with Kimmel, Fallon, Meyers, Colbert, Stewart and Oliver each in turn. And whilethe genre in general is in dangerdue to waning ratings and changes in the media landscape, they still put on their suits and deliver their monologues night after night.
But they are not the only voices. Greg Gutfeld, who has a show on Fox News at 10 p.m. ET weeknights (which is in the primetime window rather than late-night) leans to the political right. And the more mainstream late night comics, while traditionally cast as left-leaning, do not hesitate tocriticize Democrats and leftistswhen they see opportunities for humor or feel strongly about the issues.
CBS has announced the cancelation of Colbert's show and ABC appeared to cave to pressure from the Trump administration last fall over Kimmel's Kirk joke, but those, for now, appear to be aberrations.
It's unlikely that Kimmel will actually be fired over the "widow" joke. Kimmel walked on stage after Trump's comments as usual on April 27 and defended himself casually and calmly. To him, it was just another day at the office in 2026. Fallon, Meyers, Stewart and more appear unmoved by any attacks by Trump on their work. Networks are not rushing to cancel their shows. For now.
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Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel from "The Man Show" appear on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" at the NBC Studios in Los Angeles on Nov. 19, 2001.
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Jimmy Kimmell sits at a late night host practice desk and interviews with "TRL" host Carson Daly in New York on Jan. 14, 2003.
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Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman during 2nd annual Lakers Casino Night Benefiting the Lakers Youth Foundation red carpet at Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, California, in 2005.
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Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage during the American Cinematheque 24th annual awards show to honor Matt Damon at The Beverly Hilton on March 27, 2010, in Beverly Hills, California.
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Jimmy Kimmel and Emily Blunt onstage during the 16th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards on Jan. 14, 2011.
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Jimmy Kimmel and Flavor Flav at the American Music Awards in 2006.
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Jimmy Kimmel and NBA player Kobe Bryant in 2013.
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Jimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney in New York City in 2014.
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Jimmy Kimmel, John Stamos and comedian Don Rickles in Beverly Hills, California, in 2015.
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President Barack Obama talks with Jimmy Kimmel during a taping of his late-night talk show in 2015.
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Hillary Clinton appears on the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" show in 2016.
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Jimmy Kimmel, wife Molly McNearney and daughter Jane Kimmel attend the 7th annual L.A. Loves Alex's Lemonade at UCLA on Sept. 10, 2016, in Los Angeles.
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Jimmy Kimmel attends the 2016 MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Lionel Richie at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Feb. 13, 2016 in Los Angeles.
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Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel present the award for lead actress in a comedy series during the 71st Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sept. 22, 2019.
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Jimmy Kimmel court side at a Los Angeles Lakers game in 2023.
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Jimmy Kimmel delivers the opening monologue during the 96th Academy Awards on March 10, 2024.
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Jimmy Kimmel watches the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees during game one of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 25, 2024.
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Jimmy Kimmel, winner of the outstanding host for a game show award for "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," attends the 2025 Creative Arts Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on Sept. 7, 2025, in Los Angeles.
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Most memorable Jimmy Kimmel moments in photos
Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel from "The Man Show" appear on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" at the NBC Studios in Los Angeles on Nov. 19, 2001.
Political comedy endures, but it is evolving
The White House Correspondents' Association dinner has long the place where political comedians faced the names they dragged through the proverbial mud.
In 2006, most famously, Colbert delivered a shocking roast of President Bush to his face that has lived in infamy ever since. Meyers, Stewart and Kimmel have also previously hosted the event without pulling punches, no matter the political party of the president.
But it seems that Trump's influence may be ending that tradition permanently.
The April 25 dinner was the first time he has attended as president, seemingly in part due to the tradition of satirist hosts. (Cut short by the security crisis, association president Weijia Jiang says this year's dinner will be rescheduled.) In 2025, the association engaged comedian Amber Ruffin before rescinding the invitation after criticism from the Trump administration. This year they eschewed comedy entirely, instead enlisting"mentalist" and magician Oz Pearlman as host.
Before the Kimmel/Kirk controversy, Trump jokes from late night comedians did not frequently make headlines on CNN. We were not having constant conversations over the future of comedy. The chair of the FCC did not routinely comment on the behavior of individual TV hosts.
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We are clearly in a new era of comedic history that is being defined by the likes of Kimmel, plusplenty of new voicestrying to figure out the mood of a nation and the right way to make their mark. The business of comedy may feel more precarious now than it has since the era in which Bruce said "the American Constitution was not written to protect criminals; it was written to protect the government from becoming criminals" anda Carlin comedy routine went all the way to the Supreme Court.
But if we look to our history, politicians come and go (as do comedians), but there will always be someone ready to make a joke about whoever is elected next.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Kimmel, Trump and the shaky state of political comedy in 2026